Cat Power

Birthday: 21 January 1972, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Birth Name: Charlyn Marie Marshall

Height: 175 cm

Charlyn "Chan" Marie Marshall is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and occasional actress. She adopted the name Cat Power for her first band in 1992, and has since used the name as a moniker for all of her musical endeavors. Raised in the South primarily by her grandmother, Marshall showed interest in music at an early age, and was influenced by blues and rock'n'roll.In the early nineties, Marshall relocated to New York City, and became acquainted with Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth after opening at a show for Liz Phair. Shelley subsequently drummed on her first two albums, Dear Sir (1995) and Myra Lee (1996), both somber indie rock records featuring sparse instrumentation. After releasing several blues and folk rock-influenced albums throughout the late 1990s, Marshall released The Covers Record in 2000, which included a cover of "Sea of Love" that was featured prominently in the film Juno (2007). She released three more albums, You Are Free (2003), featuring collaborations with Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder; The Greatest (2006); and Jukebox (2008).Marshall has had several endeavors in modeling, and has been cited as a muse of Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld. She made her acting debut in the film My Blueberry Nights (2007) in a minor supporting role alongside Jude Law.Her most recent record, Sun (2012) was released to critical acclaim, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 10, making it her first top-ten album in the United States. Show less «

For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason....Show more »

For me, the moment the mic is on and it's rolling, it's impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I'm going to be able to sing the way I sang when I was a little kid, completely open and free. That's, I think, the one thing that's changed: Growing older, I'm not ashamed to hear my voice. Show less «

I'm not a learned musician. I don't really know where what chords are and where they graduate and wh...Show more »

I'm not a learned musician. I don't really know where what chords are and where they graduate and where to gather keys, so I just kind of mess with the notes. Show less «

We're always going to remind ourselves of our mistakes and how we do things differently, trying to b...Show more »

We're always going to remind ourselves of our mistakes and how we do things differently, trying to be a better person or whatever. Show less «

Everybody tends to think I'm crazy, which is the biggest problem in my life.

I don't come from money or an educated family background or any sort of supportive family life, so a...Show more »

I don't come from money or an educated family background or any sort of supportive family life, so all of my choices are made on my own. Show less «

I've always dressed like a dude.

I've always done things myself. I've never bragged or screamed that I produced a record before. I ne...Show more »

I've always done things myself. I've never bragged or screamed that I produced a record before. I never told anybody. Show less «

Nobody considers a covers record an album.

If your parents gave you fire to play with when you were two, you'd be standing in fire by the time ...Show more »

If your parents gave you fire to play with when you were two, you'd be standing in fire by the time you were an adult. Show less «

I've never had a clique. It's impossible when you're always traveling.

People tend to think I'm insane, and I'm really tired of it.

If I had never left the South, I can guarantee you I wouldn't be a musician. I'd be a waitress who p...Show more »

If I had never left the South, I can guarantee you I wouldn't be a musician. I'd be a waitress who paints and does karaoke. Show less «

Playing the guitar, you kind of lock into a rhythm and a groove, and then it relaxes me to make up l...Show more »

Playing the guitar, you kind of lock into a rhythm and a groove, and then it relaxes me to make up lyrics and sing. Show less «

There's just a lot of stuff that really moves me, and I don't know how to express it, and I just wan...Show more »

There's just a lot of stuff that really moves me, and I don't know how to express it, and I just want to try to do the best I can and surround myself with good people who don't invalidate me. Show less «

I am human and I make mistakes.

I got more guts than brains, and that's my problem.

I moved to Los Angeles to be with a man I loved.

I used to want to be a war photographer, and I used to want to be a ballerina and a comedian. I used...Show more »

I used to want to be a war photographer, and I used to want to be a ballerina and a comedian. I used to want to be a writer. I invalidated myself; it's a mistake for me. Show less «

After my second-to-last record, 'The Greatest', I had gone on tour for a while, and I didn't play an...Show more »

After my second-to-last record, 'The Greatest', I had gone on tour for a while, and I didn't play an instrument for about five years. And I got kind of - it's not self-esteem or whatever, or anger toward myself - but disappointed in myself that I hadn't been challenging myself to learn musically. Show less «

Hip-hop and R&B is mostly what I listen to. I don't have a connection with punk rock - I just never ...Show more »

Hip-hop and R&B is mostly what I listen to. I don't have a connection with punk rock - I just never had that experience. Show less «

I need to be able to face things.

I'm not a professional entertainer. I'm not Neil Diamond.

Life is hard and it gets worse and worse and worse.

I think the hardest thing about my life is that I've met so many people all over the world who I lov...Show more »

I think the hardest thing about my life is that I've met so many people all over the world who I love, but they're not friends with each other. Show less «

I got told I needed a producer I don't know how many times - maybe 27 times, 30? Then I recently got...Show more »

I got told I needed a producer I don't know how many times - maybe 27 times, 30? Then I recently got told 'I'm so proud of you.' That was even more great to hear. Show less «

Usually, I'll just sit down at a piano or with a guitar, and I'll just be relaxed and playing music....Show more »

Usually, I'll just sit down at a piano or with a guitar, and I'll just be relaxed and playing music. Because that's what relaxes your subconscious. That's why everyone from animals to humans love music. Show less «

People and their religions don't affect me.

From folk to tribal to Cab Calloway, Cole Porter, Gershwin to the Rolling Stones, whose first record...Show more »

From folk to tribal to Cab Calloway, Cole Porter, Gershwin to the Rolling Stones, whose first record was all covers, to country-western, bebop, blues, and even the referencing in classic hip hop to clichéd love ballads of the '80s or whatever - that is kinda gone, and that's just terrifying to me. Show less «

I still haven't been able to capture the joy of what it's like when I sing - you know, when I'm by m...Show more »

I still haven't been able to capture the joy of what it's like when I sing - you know, when I'm by myself, or like when I was a little kid. Show less «

I got told so many times I needed a manager. For a long time I resisted, and I finally got one so I ...Show more »

I got told so many times I needed a manager. For a long time I resisted, and I finally got one so I can pay my mortgage, and it helped me from becoming a homeless person. Show less «